FPL new signings: Strand Larsen a potential bargain at £5.5m

Having craved a traditional, physical centre-forward for several years, Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will be pleased to see Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.5m) arrive on loan from Celta Vigo.

The friend of Erling Haaland (£15.0m) joins for an initial £2.5m borrowing that becomes permanent for £23m once certain conditions are met.

So can the 24-year-old become Wolves’ first-choice forward and what impact will he have in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)?

We’ll take a look during this Scout Report piece, including data and images from our Premium Members Area.

THE HISTORY

From Norway, Strand Larsen came through the youth system at Sarpsborg 08 but, aged 17, was offered the chance to spend time on loan with AC Milan’s youth team.

Once back home, goals were coming steadily but he still attracted attention from the Netherlands.

FC Groningen bought him for slightly below £1m and, after a solid debut Eredivisie campaign, the youngster netted 14 times in 2021/22. Swiftly named as their Player of the Season, an €11m move to Spain followed that summer.

Truth be told, his first year was disappointing. It yielded just four goals from 32 La Liga appearances. But his second campaign – mostly under the management of Rafa Benitez – went much better.

A final collection of 13 goals came from an average distance of just 11.2 yards, whilst Strand Larsen also ranked fifth for overall shots (82). His non-penalty expected goals (NPxG) tally of 14.50 came third, between Robert Lewandowski and Alvaro Morata.

Internationally, he has 14 caps and three goals for Norway but is unfortunate to be competing with Haaland for the centre-forward spot.

PLAYING STYLE

The 6ft 4in forward doesn’t merely have potential as a target man for crosses but also as a facilitator for other attackers.

Wolves desperately need an aerial threat in their frontline but Strand Larsen also brings others up the pitch with his hold-up play. Imagine Matheus Cunha (£6.5m) and Hwang Hee–chan (£6.5m) buzzing around the Norwegian, feeding off his lay-offs and flick-ons.

“I’m a tall player but I’m not only physical and be there to hold up the ball, I can also run and, most importantly, fight for the team. I give everything 100 per cent. If I have to lose three teeth in a game, then I will do it. I give everything for the team, for the club and for the badge.” – Jorgen Strand Larsen to the Wolves website

Above: A graphic from The Athletic on Strand Larsen’s 2023/24 attempts

Wolves fans can get excited that they finally have a poacher on their books. Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan did admirable jobs up front but they prefer to be slightly further back.

Whereas eight of Strand Larsen’s 13 strikes from 2023/24 actually took place inside the six-yard box. By comparison, the whole Wolves squad only amassed nine from such an area.

“Everyone knows that bringing in a number nine was really important to us. Sasa [Kalajdzic] has been so unlucky with his injuries and on his road to coming back, so we needed some depth and we saw that last season. Hee-chan [Hwang] is a different type of forward, while Nathan [Fraser] is still learning his trade and Leon [Chowime] is still learning as well.” – Wolves’ sporting director Matt Hobbs

“What Gary [O’Neil] loved about him was not only the fact that he scores goals, but the amount of work and running he does for the rest of the team and the chances he likes to create for other people. He probably takes as much satisfaction in what he does for other people than what he does for himself.” – Matt Hobbs

Another string to his bow is that, for Norway, he usually plays from the left because Haaland is around. Gary O’Neil could occasionally ask the forward to drift out wide.

WHERE STRAND LARSEN FITS IN AT WOLVES

However, based on introductory club website quotes, Strand Larsen is purely intended to be used as a number nine. He’s even wearing the appropriate shirt number, as an heir to Raul Jimenez.

“Gary’s [O’Neil] only looking at him as a number nine. Jorgen sees himself as a number nine, and when he’s had to play wide – which he’s had to do for Norway because they’ve got Haaland through the middle – he’s shown humility because although he wants to play down the middle, he also wants to play for his country.

“But for us, we’re very much looking at him to be a number nine. If you look at the options we have in the wide areas, Channy [Hwang] can move out wide and has played a lot of football there, it shows that we have cover in the wider areas.” – Matt Hobbs

A chunk of 2023/24 was spent around 10th and 11th place – pretty impressive considering O’Neil was appointed as head coach just two days before the season began. Things faded after Gameweek 29, finishing 14th, but now he’ll have a full pre-season to implement his ideas.

3-4-2-1 was the preferred formation, where Cunha tended to be the centre-forward and found his groove in 11 matches between Gameweeks 13 and 23, bagging seven goals and four assists.

Above: All players with at least six goals, ranked by their goal conversion rate

Hwang would sometimes lead the line, producing six goals and two assists in his first 11 outings. A few weren’t started, either. Seventh for overall points by Gameweek 20, his closing total of a dozen strikes came from a lowly 45 shots. It’s either some superb conversion skills or a slight bit of luck.

Star winger Pedro Neto (£6.5m) is heavily linked with a departure but, should he stay, it may weaken the security of Strand Larsen’s starts. Especially early on. But there could still be an easing-in process involving Pablo Sarabia (£5.5m) and whoever is bought to replace Neto.

IS HE WORTH BUYING IN FPL?

That’s not the only reason why FPL managers may want to wait before purchasing. A priority signing that Wolves have scouted since 2018, it consistently sounds like he’s not a panic loan move. But their nasty bunch of early fixtures rank last in our Season Ticker.

By Gameweek 8, they’ll have faced six of last year’s top seven.

Beyond that, he’s been generously placed in the £5.5m price bracket alongside Joao Pedro, Michail Antonio and Adam Armstrong. Once fixtures improve at around Gameweek 10, we’ll know a lot more about Strand Larsen’s FPL potential.

He could very nicely complement Cunha, Hwang, Neto and Sarabia, being good for counter-attacks and overlapping wing-backs. The early signs in pre-season look promising:

Wolves fans will certainly be hoping he’s a Haaland-lite.

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